CHAPTER 7
The second volume of Cocktail Sapiens closes with a chapter detailing the seven essential functions that every bartender should aspire to in performing their role as an exemplary cocktail professional in a bar of the highest quality product.
The first of these focuses on sales as the determining factor for every bartender’s presence. An understanding of the synergy of three areas of responsibility (marketing-commercial-communication) go hand-in-hand with the definition and fulfilment of objectives.
The second function addresses the complexity involved in structuring the offer of a cocktail bar, relating to the selection of cocktails and also to the other items that appear on the menu.
The third takes a detailed look at another key element of the success of any cocktail bar, or indeed, any enterprise in the hospitality industry: the purchase of the product. A knowledge of the issues around managing purchases and the importance of understanding the cocktail market are essential to any bartender managing or co-managing a high-level enterprise.
The fourth function examines how to make preparations for when the cocktail bar opens its doors to the public. An understanding of the necessary elements to have a good mise en place is essential: from prep for the elaborations, to the organisation of the team involved in service and the readying of the physical spaces. Our tour of these key elements demonstrate that there can be no good service without a perfect mise en place.
The fifth function focuses on service, examining the complex actions that lay behind this experience. We take a brief tour that depicts a service from beginning to end, analysing the main actions that the bartender must carry out with great skill. The success of this process is decisive in shaping the final opinion of every client.
The sixth function explores the bartender’s role in the management of the cocktail bar and reinforces the fundamental concept that every bartender, whether owner or not, must have an entrepreneurial attitude that enables them to manage or co-manage the enterprise in all its aspects.
The chapter concludes with a seventh and final essential function: to understand what innovation is, who it is open to, and where innovation can be applied in business. Having an innovative attitude enables the bartender, whether entrepreneur or not, to show a capacity for leadership in determined pursuit of continuous improvement.
